Shantou
/ʂân.tʰǒʊ/noun
Shantou is a coastal city and major port in Guangdong Province, China.
Did you know?Shantou was one of the Chinese treaty ports opened to foreign trade after the Second Opium War, and its older English name was “Swatow.”
Etymological Timeline
Early Chinese usage
Chinese
汕
“A regional geographical name associated with the Chaoshan coastal area; the character can also refer to shallow water or a fishing device.”
19th Century
Chinese
汕头
“The place-name meaning approximately “head of Shan,” referring to the site’s position near the Shan area or waterways.”
1860
English
Swatow
“A traditional English rendering derived from the local pronunciation of 汕头 through southern Chinese speech.”
Late 19th Century
Teochew/English
Swatow
“The international port name used in trade, maps, and colonial-era records.”
20th Century
Mandarin Chinese
Shàntóu
“The Hanyu Pinyin romanization of 汕头, now standard in English.”
Modern English
English
Shantou
“The modern romanized name of the Guangdong port city.”